Nickolas Mohanna
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Nickolas Mohanna | |
|---|---|
 performing in Berlin, Germany 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Guitar, Computer, etc. |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | Karlrecords, Longform Editions/Preservation, Aagoo Records, AKP Recordings Run/Off |
| Website | nickolasmohanna |
Nickolas Mohanna is an American artist, composer, and guitarist. His interdisciplinary practice employs a variety of media to explore and blur the borders between music, sound art, video and drawing.[1]
Born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1979 [2], he moved to the Bay Area to study printmaking at San Francisco State University and later went to the University of California, Davis for an MFA in Art Studio.[3][4] While there he took courses with Mike Henderson, Bob Ostertag,[5] Annabeth Rosen, Douglas Kahn, and Wayne Thiebaud. He lives and works in New York.[6]
Work
In his sound compositions, there is a "tendency of sculpting and orchestrating a minimal array of sounds into sonically rich and spacious atmospheres."[7] Some pieces explore field recordings processed into abstract soundscapes with electroacoustic procedures. "While other arrangements invoke a post-punk minimalism with flashes of Arthur Russell."[8] Most of the sounds are sourced from local environments.[9][10] While certain tracks "bury melodies in multiple layers of distortion to reveal their latent chromatic richness through gradually mutating textural contrast."[11] The "consistent tone makes it all flow together like raindrops forming a lake."[12] The music critic Byron Coley, writes he "rides on psychedelic clouds of freedom."[13] In a Village Voice interview, he remarks that his aim is to create an "immersive stereo space where the sound would be reduced to its rawest form."[14] In addition to these works, he has also published a number of artists' books which have served as visual accompaniments, conceptual ideas, or graphic scores to his sonic practice on the imprint Run/Off; which he founded in 2014.[15][16] Run/Off Editions has since published artists’ books by Marina Rosenfeld, Robin Watkins & Nina Canell, Milano Chow and others; focusing on the book form as a collaborative process.
Selected Discography
- Hunting Horns Abandon Ship Records, CD, 2008.
- In Embers Stunned Records, CD, 2009.
- The Relative Middle Small Doses, CD, 2009.
- Birth To A Point Blackest Rainbow, CD, 2009.
- Optics Slow Flow Rec, CD, 2010.
- Transmission Hue Low Point, CD, 2010.
- Reflectors Preservation, CD, 2011.
- Parallax View Low Point, LP, 2013
- Control Group Metaphysical Circuits, Tape/DL. 2013
- Phase Line Run/Off Editions & WFMU Free Music Archive, Digital/CD. 2015
- Mantis Preservation, Tape/DL. 2016
- Chroma Karlrecords, LP. 2017
- Karl Marx's 200th Karlrecords, Compilation CD. 2018
- Smoke Aagoo Records, LP, 2019
- Various – The Wire Tapper 51 The Wire Tapper, CD. 2019
- Throwing The Chain Longform Editions, File, FLAC. 2019
- Parakustiks Karlrecords, Compilation. 2020
- Automatic (with Matt Schulz) bs,bta, Tape/DL. 2021
- Nerve Plexus Dadaist Tapes, Tape/DL, Album, 2021
- Sight Drawings Run/Off, LP/DL, Album, 2022
- Double Pendulum Run/Off, LP/DL, Album, 2023
- LIVE (with Jef Mertens) 291, Tape/DL. 2024
- Speaker Rotations AKP Recordings, Tape/DL, Album, 2025
Publications / Multiples
- Theater. France: Kaugummi, 2010.
- Particles Brooklyn, New York: Medium Rare, 2010.
- Apparatus France: Lendroit éditions, 2011. Offset poster publication. Edition of 1000.
- Interface France: Lendroit éditions, 2011. ISBN 978-2-917427-11-8.
- Floodlights Brooklyn, New York: Oso Press, 2012.
- Boundaries Los Angeles, CA: The Ice Plant, 2012. Edition of 100.
- LAND New York, New York: Run/Off Editions, 2015. ISBN 978-1-63415-661-5.
- Heat Death France: Lendroit éditions, 2017. ISBN 978-2-37751-005-4.
- Spin Group New York, New York: Run/Off Editions, 2021. ISBN 978-1-64871-848-9.
- Broken Chords New York, New York: Run/Off Editions, 2023. ISBN 979-8-88992-023-6
- Hydraulics New York, New York: Run/Off Editions, 2025. ISBN 979-8-90030-253-9
Film / Video
His video and film work have been used in both gallery installations and for live sound performances; using a range of computer animation, found video, or appropriated footage. Many of them have mirrored various sound compositions by using collage or distortion to explore electronic & acoustic processes.
- Ruins, video projection, 16mm film transferred to video, 3:50 min, black/white, sound, 2008
- Ceremony, video, 5:20 min, color, sound, 2010
- Elements, 16mm film transferred to video 3:50 min, color, sound, 2011
- Generator, video projection, 2:00 min, black/white, sound, 2013
- Passage, video projection, 4:56 min, black/white, sound, 2015
- Quadrant, video projection, 2:00 min, color, sound, 2017
- Subsystem, video projection, animation, 6:17 min, black/white, sound, 2018
- Beam & Column, video projection, 2:00 min, color, sound, 2019
